I am interested in how the Signalman are working in TSW. So in reality there is the Train order which modifies the established timetable. Train order can perform among other things: 1. Altering the schedule of a train to allow other trains to run with the respect to the altered schedule rather than that given in the timetible. 2. Giving a train rights over another train that ordinarily has timetable superiority 3. Conveying warnings about temporary conditions such as temporary speed limits, track conditions or hazards which might affect the safety of trains, etc. So how close are we from the reality?
Hello, Just to be clear, you’re referring to a Signaller which is called a Dispatcher in the US. It’s not the same as a Dispatcher in the UK. For points 1 and 2, unfortunately as I keep going on about in several threads, it’s not going to work without the following: 1. More traffic 2. Longer routes or route extensions 3. Dynamic delay system Let’s say you increased traffic on the GWE to what would be almost 20 trains an hour in each direction from Paddington and then you extended the GWE from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads. By increasing traffic, you’re going to experience cautionary aspects more often because if one train is late even by a couple of minutes, this is going to impact on so many other trains because of how tight the timings are? By extending the route to say Bristol Temple Meads, you’re able to appreciate the ripple effect of even a couple of minutes at delay at the start of the journey which can turn into 10+ minutes 100 or so miles down the line and can also affect other trains. Let’s say you’re following a late running service to Bath Spa and you’re late by a few minutes, you’re now out of path. So you get checked down to Wootton Bassett junction because a train from Cardiff/Swansea is being out out ahead of you even though you were booked in front. Then you get to Didcot Parkway and the Oxford train gets put ahead of you. And then you get to Reading, both main line (fast line) platforms are occupied because the train from Newbury has come into platform 10 and the Oxford is in platform 11. Once you’ve finally routed into the platform, you’re following behind a train Newbury which is only 90mph maximum because it’s a turbo and you’re following a train from Oxford. Oh wait, the Oxford train stops at Slough. You throw the anchors again at West Drayton because a Heathrow Express train cuts in front at Heathrow Airport Junction. You get checked down to the last signal at Paddington because you’re waiting for a train to leave. You arrive into Paddington 25 minutes late. Oh wait, that train is due back out in 10 minutes to Cardiff Central. Now if you want some more enjoyment, throw in a problem on the relief lines (slow lines) so that stopper trains are being put on the mainline and watch the chaos unfold. Anyway, I hope you can appreciate how even a small delay can cause so much disruption. Once you’ve lost your path, it’s very hard in such a congested timetable to get back into your path. The signallers will try their best to minimise the delay which sometimes means delaying another train by putting you in front- e.g. have the Oxford train sit at Reading until you’ve arrived, let passengers on/off and then departed which may mean you’ll get a better run between Reading and Paddington but the Oxford train is now 5 minutes late- or it may mean delaying you further by putting a train that should be behind you in front of you in order to minimise delays to other trains. There is no superiority anymore; once upon a time, a headcode ‘1’ meant you got priority in front of everything else but that’s not the case anymore. The way it’s programmed currently in TSW, it’s all done by timetable order. Lets take the junction just after Lewes where line splits to Seaford or Eastbourne. If you come very late from Eastbourne, you can see a train stood at a red light waiting to go across you to get to the Seaford branch. That signal will not change for that train until you have gone past even though you may still be miles away. Obviously in reality, the other train would be allowed to go through the junction ahead of you even though you’re booked to go first. There needs to be a dynamic system where it is able to process a delay and determine whether another train is able to go in front. I’ll come to point 3 later when I have more time. Just a quick note about the traffic. During the reduced train service in the last few months because of the pandemic, you’ll see the train services are a lot more reliable and on-time because there is very little traffic. Even if there is a small delay, you’re fairly easily able to make that back up because there aren’t other trains trying to jump in left, right and centre. I’ve attached screenshots of departures and arrivals into Paddington during a one hour period and see how tight the headways are and this doesn’t include the Heathrow Express/connect services.
I am interested if TSW have the Signaller system which would recognize this type of situations? But for that to know we should wait for the more busier routes or section of routes. But is signaller presented in the game. One example is obviously when overshoot the station and doing so pass the signal also. After reversing the train into the station and loading passengers, red light will never change to green again.
